HIS 323 History of Lynching and Collective Violence

3 hours 

This course examines the history of lynching, rioting and other varieties of collective violence perpetrated by groups of people unauthorized by state or legal authority. The focus will be comparative, examining similarities and differences in the history of collective violence across world cultures and across historical eras. The patterns of lynching, rioting, and other forms of collective violence are often indicative of a culture's underlying social structures and values, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and attitudes concerning crime and punishment. The course will also examine movements that developed to oppose and resist lynching and its violation of human rights and the rule of law. Finally, the course will consider the legacy of lynching and collective violence, and analyze the efforts that have been made in recent years across global cultures to remember and facilitate healing in the wake of these hateful and destructive acts of group violence. Please note that much of the course content involves analysis of acts of collective violence and may be disturbing.